Armed forces support

Sailors on ship flight deck

If you live in Bracknell Forest and are an armed forces veteran or serving personnel, you may find the resources on this page helpful.

Armed services personnel covers:

  • members of the armed forces and former service personnel
  • bereaved spouses and civil partners of members of the armed forces
  • serving or former members of the reserve forces

Bracknell Forest Community Covenant

Find out about the Bracknell Forest Community Covenant, which includes the Ministry of Defence Covenant Grant Fund.

Housing

If you need local housing, there are arrangements which mean that you could be included on the housing list even if you don’t meet the usual criteria. You can find out more from the BFC my choices website.

If you want to buy a home, there is a government backed help to buy scheme.

If you are sleeping rough, you can get support from StreetLink. You can also use StreetLink to get help for someone else.

Education

If you are a service family moving into the area and need help to find a school place for your child, please get in touch by:

Health and wellbeing

The following places offer health and wellbeing support:

Jobs

If you are leaving the armed services, you can find help and advice from the Careers Transition Partnership.

If you are a family member of someone in the armed forces, you can use the Force Families Jobs (FFJ) career platform. FFJ helps military family members find jobs and get help and support.

We are proud to have been awarded silver status in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme in 2024. This achievement recognises our commitment and support to our armed forces communities.

Shops and restaurants

Many shops and restaurants offer discounts to armed forces personnel. To find out how to get a Defence Privilege Card, visit the Defence Discount Service website. 

Royal British Legion

The Royal British Legion (RBL) offer support for veterans. For more information:

Bracknell has its own branch of the RBL. You can get in touch by:

Welfare issues are no longer dealt with at RBL branch level. A national RBL helpline is available for assistance. The phone number is 0808 8028080.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service runs drop-in Armed Forces Veterans' Hubs throughout the year. They are open from 10am to 1pm with free refreshments of breakfast rolls, tea and coffee. You are welcome to come and leave at any point during these times. 

The hubs are open to anyone in the armed forces community, including:

  • serving members
  • veterans
  • families

The hubs are informal gatherings, and are an opportunity for you to meet others and get access to any support you might need.

Hubs are running on:

  • Friday 10 April 2026 at Maidenhead Fire Station, Bridge Road, Maidenhead, SL6 8PG
  • Friday 26 June 2026 at Bracknell Fire Station, Downshire Way, Bracknell, RG12 7AA
  • Friday 6 November 2026 at Newbury Fire Station, Hawthorn Road, Speenhamland, Newbury, RG14 1LD

More support

You may also find the following resources helpful: